Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Reveries End Interview


1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?

We started recording the album already in 2013. When we finally finished it a lot had happened and almost three years had passed. The whole band had changed and grown up. Our vocalist Sariina decided to leave the band and concentrate on her own projects. We know that it wasn’t an easy decision for her, but we also understand that everyone has their own path and that it is best to follow one’s heart towards true passion, wherever it may lead, than to struggle against the gnawing feeling, that something does not feel right. It’s something we all have faced and we understand her decision. Also in the band we all have different situations outside our music and major changes have occurred, which takes away time and energy from the band. However we are happy that the album is out and that it is finally ready, which wasn’t easy, we can tell you that! But more about it later… Now we are looking for a new singer. Hopefully we’ll find one soon because we’re anxious to get back to writing new songs and playing gigs!


2.Your first full length is coming out at the end of February, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

Jaakko: The sound is… hopeful, I think. There is hope but also depression by the dark skies above. The songs reflect dark times that we have experienced, but also the joy of playing it all out and gathering the energy into a raging bonfire, releasing the anxiety and transforming it into musical form that can be heard on the album. We were inspired in the process by some great swedish bands and created our own musical expression, combining elements from all the band members. We wanted the outcome to be melodic and melancholic to represent the ‘solitary seeker of beauty’ that is, in my opinion, the character behind the songs. There are beautiful and sensitive atmospheric moments... but then a storm gathers, and all the hell breaks loose as it destroys everything in it’s path. And afterwards there is only silent sorrow left.


3.In 2012 you had released a couple of demos but waited until 2016 to release the full length, can you tell us a little bit more about the 4 year gap?

Veli-Matti: After the demos we concentrated on gigging for some time until we started recording the album in the fall of 2013. Thinking back now, maybe we started making the album too soon. All the songs were not yet ready at the time, and that’s why the whole process took so much time and it started to affect our motivation. But in the end we fought through it and learned a lot from it, and I’m very proud of the result.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?

Veli-Matti: Sariina would be the best person to answer this question since she has written most of the lyrics on the album, but some prominent themes are fear, death, grief and sorrow.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Reveries End'?

Jaakko: Reveries are the colours we see around us. They can also be distant dreams that our heart yearns after. Also the beauty of sunset and a small sprout flowering up from under the rubble. But eventually the bloom must wither and all the good things must come to an end and death takes over... until new is born from the remains of the old. That is the nature of life. Chaos reigns and the cycle goes on and on. The name is a dualistic sigil that holds both light and dark in its form, representing the music.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

Jaakko: We are present and we play from our hearts. The goal is to unite with audience and exchange energy. To paint a picture of a beautiful but forlorn landscape in the listener’s mind. I remember that we were playing at Vastavirta klubi, a small underground venue in Tampere, and I felt more alive on stage than anytime before. I felt connected with the music and people, and that made it memorable. I guess the audience felt the same way too, cause we received a lot of positive feedback after the show.

Veli-Matti: We’ve had a number of gigs at Jack the Rooster in Tampere and it’s always nice there. It feels like home with plenty of friends in the audience. I think people can see from our shows that we love to play our songs live.


7.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

We’d love to go touring but there is the problem that we don’t have a singer yet. Once we get the lineup together we’ll start doing gigs in Finland and Europe as well.


8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of goth and doom metal?

Veli-Matti: I don’t know about fans of those particular genres, but the overall feedback has been pretty positive. I have a feeling our music is appreciated by people with lighter and heavier tastes in music.

Jaakko: I don't know really. I think that there are all kinds of fans. I guess there may be too much colour in our music for those with a more blackened heart.


9.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?

Timo: I recently left my other band Neferion, so Reveries End is now the only band I play drums in.

Jaakko: I stride forwards in the Vesperithian world with Sariina. New material may be coming up for summer! Also I think that Astral Sleep may be slowly rising from deep slumber once again, but who knows from the thoughts of ancients...


10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

Jaakko: We shall see. Maybe something acoustic, or maybe something much heavier, I don’t know and that makes it exciting!

Veli-Matti: The new vocalist will probably affect our sound in some way, but I’m sure we will continue our melancholic journey wherever it may take us.


11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Veli-Matti: All kinds of music from jazz and country to black metal have influenced us, but there are bands like Ghost Brigade and Katatonia that have had a greater impact on our music.

Timo: I rarely listen to music nowadays, which is a shame, but I just bought Omnium Gatherum’s latest album Grey Heavens on cd.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Veli-Matti: Movies and tv series are a great passion of mine, and I also do miscellaneous tv and film work for a living. I also greatly enjoy snowboarding, but unfortunately I don’t get to do it often.

Timo: I like coffee. “I grind my own beans.” -Frank Drebin

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Thanks for the interview! We hope people enjoy our album Edge of Dark Waters, which is released on February 28th by Sliptrick Records.

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